2022: Gedächtnis
by Gilboron
Summary: In an alternate continuity, 22 years after the Second Impact, Angels are still attacking Earth. Arnoud, who lost both his parents to the Angels when he was 8 years old, has become an introvert when Nerv-03 selects him as the Thirteenth Children...
1. Prolog: Memoiren

The year 2022.

It's been 22 years since the Second Impact.

My parents barely survived the floods. They were lucky – for sixteen years.

When the twenty-first Angel, Camael, attacked the German branch of Nerv, they died before Eva-07 could save them.

I know I was there that day, but I don't remember anything.

But do I really want to…

…remember?


	2. Erstes Kapitel: die Einführung

The young man – closer to a boy – looked up at the building. He was short, with curly blond hair. He had been brought here under the pretense of moving to a new city, but the building did not look like any kind of apartment building. That's because it wasn't: it was the third branch of Nerv, a special agency under control of the United Nations. Nerv-03 was located in Hamburg, Germany, and was covered in a protective white dome. Most of the buildings underneath it, however, were still ruins from the 21st Angel's attack.

"It's amazing they're still using the facilities, considering they're only half-repaired," his twin sister commented, brushing her equally blonde hair off her face. The boy simply nodded in response. Arnoud was his name, and his sister's was Hannelore. Their parents died six years ago, and since then, Arnoud had only spoken with his sister and a handful of close friends. Rarely did he exchange words with strangers. The last time was a few days ago, when he and his sister were selected by the Marduk Institute as the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Children. He never expected to be forced to fight the same monsters that killed his parents.

He shuffled towards the once automatic glass doors, which were now held open by their guardian and Nerv employee Ester Okuhito. She had a Finnish mother and a Japanese father, but was born in Germany. Despite her mixed blood she looked like the stereotypical Scandinavian: blonde hair, blue eyes and beautiful. She was kind, but often treated them like toddlers.

"Arnoud, it's time to enter. Mind the step now!" Ester said, smiling. The interior halls, unlike the gray and seemingly abandoned exterior, were a bluish white and almost painfully clean. It reminded him of a hospital, and he didn't like hospitals. The floor of the entrance hall had been decorated with a large red logo: an upside-down-turned apple, with a superimposed fig leaf. Nerv's logo. _God's In His Heaven… All's Right With The World._ The last part was a blatant lie if he ever heard one. "Just wait here while I handle all the formal stuff, okay? Make sure to be careful!" Ester said, before walking off. Arnoud sighed and settled into one of the red benches lined up against the wall. His sister, who had remained a lot more active after the death of their parents, was attentively reading a notice board. He closed his eyes, trying to catch up on the sleep he missed that night, but was awoken quickly by a loud scream.

"_Whaaaaat_? Two more? One is difficult enough to handle!" Now why did that voice sound familiar? It wasn't Ester, that was sure. It sounded too young and too Japanese to be her. Maybe he had heard her on TV? After the information leak Nerv _had_ been in the news a lot. As soon as Ester returned, he noticed he was correct: the girl with her was an important Eva pilot. "Arnoud, Hanne, this is Miss Asuka Langley Soryu, the Second Children. As you may know, she was one of the original six Eva pilots. As she is half-German and speaks the language, she will be your new guardian and primary tutor. Say hi!" Ester ended her introduction by waving at Asuka, who merely frowned in annoyance. Arnoud had immediately recognized her: her long red hair was unlike any other. Hanne cheerfully said hello, and was half-heartedly followed by Arnoud. He hesitated before asking: "M-miss Soryu, I heard you talk about a third person you're also teaching… who is that?" Asuka rolled her eyes and sighed, but Ester butted in before she was able to answer. "Kristof Deutscher, I heard he's from Eupen too!" Arnoud eyes widened with amazement. He had known Kristof for years, and he had recently 'moved away' too… so this was why! "We used to be friends…" This time, Ester wanted to react, but Asuka interrupted. "You were that _baka_'s friend? I better prepare for the worst…" Arnoud would have been insulted, but he gave her that: Kristof could be pretty slow from time to time. Ester seemed to be shocked in his place. "Miss Soryu, please! They're children!"

"Hey, we're/they're fourteen!" the other three said in unison. Ester flinched, but returned to her usual smile immediately. "Miss Soryu will show you where you'll be sleeping tonight. Oh, and Soryu, my father said that today's training has been delayed for two hours, so take your time to show them around!" She walked off, waving the twins goodbye as if it was their first day of school. Now that she was gone, whatever restraint Asuka had been showing was swept away. "That old hag…" she said, clenching her fist. "Thinks she can get away with talking like that just because her father's the doctor… Don't just stand there, follow me, you stupid brats!" To get to the apartment they were staying, they had to go outside again for a few hundred yards, walking along a path through the artificial gardens. The apartment complex had been renovated a lot better than the office building, looking like a decent place to live in rather than some poorly refurbished ruins. The apartment itself was spacious, with a large living room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and two large bedrooms. There was also a small storage closet next to the front door. When they entered, Kristof was sitting at the table in the middle of the living room, apparently engrossed in a card game of sorts. He turned around, noticing Asuka had returned. "Ah, welcome ba- Arno? What are you doing here?"

Arnoud smiled, and his introverted mood changed completely when he saw his old friend again. "Kris! It _is_ you!" Kristof was a young boy just like Arnoud, but looked nothing like him: he had dark brown hair and the beginnings of a beard, and though he wasn't fat, his belly complimented his friendly and take-things-as-they-come personality. They started talking about how they had missed each other, but Asuka separated them again. "Calm down, both of you! You're sharing a room, there's enough time to chat tonight. Hanne, you're sharing a room with me. Baka-Kristof, help me make lunch!" Kristof shrugged as if to apologize for her behavior, and then replied: "Yes, ma'am!" As Kristof and Asuka headed to the kitchen to make lunch, Arnoud and his sister sat down on the couch. Hannelore patted him on his back. "It's good to see your friend back, isn't it?" Arnoud smiled and nodded. "I guess. I've really missed him." Hannelore giggled. "I remember how you guys always used to overdramatize things when you played soldier." They both laughed as they recalled the fun they used to have before Kristof had to leave. It seemed like some faraway nostalgic memory, even though it was barely a year ago. Asuka popped her head out of the kitchen door to see what was going in. "Hey! What's so funny?" "It's nothing!" Hannelore answered, still smiling. "Stupid brats…" Asuka muttered as she returned to prepare lunch.

The lunch was nothing special, average at best: some half-burnt toast with eggs. Its only saving grace was the delicious tea, which Kristof said was a secret recipe of his. After they finished eating, Asuka turned on the television and ordered Kristof to show the twins around the domed-in base. It was pretty small compared to geofronts like in Nerv's Japanese headquarters, but still quite big on its own. Apart from the apartment complex and the office building, there were several large maintenance buildings, a large parking lot, and the artificial gardens spread throughout came complete with an artificial lake. There was also one other building: the largest of them all. This was the place where all the Evangelions were stored, and where pilots were instructed and trained. Arnoud wanted to learn more about the training, but Kristof grinned mischievously and told them: "I can't really describe it. You'll have to see for yourself later." And when later came, Arnoud was filled with anxiety.

First, Asuka directed them to the changing rooms, where they would change into their plugsuits. The plugsuits: Arnoud didn't know what to think of them. They were a kind of glorified wetsuit, form fitted so well that they felt like a second layer of skin. They were designed to provide optimal synchronization with the Eva, but Arnoud just found them uncomfortable. The way it stuck to his skin, the way it felt like he was still naked. "M-miss Soryu?" he called out, and Asuka, who had long finished putting her own plugsuit on, replied. "What's the matter, brat?" "The suit's uncomfortable," he whimpered, nervously rubbing his hands together. "Have you pressed the button on your left wrist?" The button, located on what looked like a bracelet on his left wrist, was used to release all the remaining air inside the suit. "Well, of course…" Arnoud thought he could almost hear Asuka's annoyance. "Then stop whining and finish up already. The other two are waiting, you know." When he finished up and walked outside, he noticed something peculiar: Asuka's plugsuit was exactly the same shade of red as her Evangelion, Eva-02. He wondered if his Evangelion would match his blue plugsuit.

Asuka then took them to the cages: large metal rooms filled for about three-quarters with a red coolant liquid. Submerged to their necks in that liquid stood the Evangelion. Or, to be exact, Evangelion_s_, as his unit shared a cage with his sister's. Side by side, it was almost painfully obvious these were designed as twin units. They were both dark blue, three-eyed, and menacing. His unit – Eva-14α – only had a right shoulder pylon. Her unit – Eva-14β – only had a left shoulder pylon. And that was the only noticeable difference. Currently, as actual training took place in specialized simulation bodies, the cages functioned as a meeting place and a way to familiarize with the Eva's grotesque appearance. At least these looked fairly normal compared to Kristof's: a green giant, with four eyes arranged in a plus formation. In fact, the fourth eye was located on Eva-16's chin.

"_Hauptmann_ Langley, Dr. Okuhito wanted to inform you the simulation bodies are ready." Asuka nodded, and the heavily built man who had delivered the message left again. "Alright you brats, it's time for your first training, so follow me!"

Arnoud felt uncomfortable in the entry plug, as if he didn't belong there. The controls, the seats, it all seemed like it was tailor-made, but for someone else. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down. The techno babble in the background became like distant static as he drifted away. He opened his eyes again when he felt his feet slowly being submerged in water. Well, at least it was some kind of liquid. "Uh, Doctor Okuhito, what's this… uh… liquid filling the entry plug?" Dr. Okuhito – Ester's father and one of the many scientists to work on the second generation of Evangelions – answered with a spontaneous curve of his lips. "You mean the LCL? Don't worry. Once it fills your lungs it'll transmit the oxygen straight to your blood." The explanation wasn't that assuring, and Arnoud still held his breath when the liquid reached his neck. After a few seconds he was forced to gasp for air, and he coughed as the LCL saturated his lungs. He felt sick.

Asuka signaled the technicians to commence the simulation. Arnoud looked around as the view screen activated: it was a beautifully made, almost exact 3D replica of Hamburg. Even though he could see it was fake, he had to admit it was exciting – it sort of felt like piloting a real Evangelion. Maybe it wasn't so bad at all. As the entire world around him loaded, 3D renditions of Eva-14β, Eva-16 and Eva-02 appeared in the streets around him. "It's gonna be your first time, but don't think this means we'll go easy on you! Baka-Kristof, you'll be my co-teacher for this lesson! We're starting with basic mechanics and movement."

However, before the lesson could actually start, they were interrupted by the Command Center. "_Hauptmann_ Langley, an Angel has appeared off the coast. Please report at your station." Asuka disconnected from the training and Eva-02's 3D rendition disappeared. Only her voice over the radio was audible. "Ready my Unit for battle, please. Baka and twins, go to the Command Center; let me show you a real battle!" When Arnoud had climbed out of the entry plug, Asuka was already gone. "So it starts already…"

Being Eva pilots, Arnoud, Hannelore and Kristof were allowed on the Command Tower, which had the clearest view of the many view screens in the Command Center. The Angel was a terrifying thing, as if a giant fossil had been re-animated. A long bony spine wound its way through the water like a snake, its head a long-beaked birdlike face, and two skeletal bat-like wings protruding from its sides. When it reached the shore, countless centipede-like legs folded out, and started trampling the ground. It was the 23rd Angel: Hesediel.

"Eva-02! Lift off!" A hatch opened in the streets of Hamburg, and the glimmering red posture of Asuka's Evangelion Unit 02 rose from the depths, bearing a Sonic Glaive. As she readied herself to make a dash at the Angel, who was still crawling out of the water thirty miles away, she opened the comm. Channel to the Command Center. "Baka and twins, pay close attention! I'll show you how a real Eva pilot defeats an Angel!"


	3. Zweites Kapitel: der Ausfall

When the Angel's skeletal body was fully emerged from the water, Eva-02 started charging towards the coastline. The Evangelion's long legs carried it forward with incredible speed, and in less than ten minutes it had reached the shore. Immediately, the Angel's head swiveled around with a bonelike cracking sound, and its empty eye sockets began to glow red. Large beams of energy began to rise up behind Eva-02, but she was too fast to be hit, leaving all of the explosions behind her like a trail. When the beams stopped rising, they erupted sideways, forming a cross. The Angel's frustrated screech almost deafened Asuka.

"You stupid monster!" she shouted, leaping in the air, readying her Glaive to attack. When she neared the creature's spine, she swung the Glaive down over her head. However, the Angel spread its left wing in the blink of an eye; the space in between the bat-like skeleton forming an A.T. Field so strong even light couldn't penetrate it. Even Nerv's highly specialized Sonic weaponry wasn't built for this: the weapon shattered, and Eva-02 smashed into the field like a fly on a windshield. They had not seen this coming. "_Vital signs decreasing! Send out the unit recovery squad! Captain Langley's life has priority!_" Hesediel folded its wing again and continued its trek to the Nerv base, leaving Eva-02 behind like a squashed bug.

Shocked and unable to do anything, Arnoud, Hannelore and Kristof had witnessed the battle from the Command Center. Ester tried to turn them away from the screen, assuring them everything was going to be alright, but especially Arnoud's eyes were glued to the view screen. He couldn't believe an Angel had defeated an Evangelion so easily. An emergency meeting was held in one of the many rooms below the surface. It was headed by Nerv-03's tactical commander, Gerlinde Braunschweig, a young but stout woman, whose determined face showed clear Germanic origins. She informed the people attending the meeting of the situation. "Both Magi 05 and Magi 03 have concluded that while the Angel has no real intelligence, it has a reaction speed at least three times that of the average human. It is currently headed here and is expected to reach this location by 0300 AM tomorrow morning." A young man interrupted her briefing as fear got the best of him. "And how do you expect us to defeat that monster? Conventional weapons are useless, we have no pilots!" "We do, lieutenant," Dr. Okuhito said, calming the young officer down. "They may be inexperienced, but Captain Langley has recently begun teaching three new pilots how to control an Evangelion. Considering they're the only chance we have left, I say the course of action is obvious." Gerlinde agreed: "The doctor is correct, lieutenant Bär. And we will need at least three Evangelions to defeat the Angel, based on our current knowledge." Finally, a highly confidential plan was brought into being. The twin units would fire at the Angel at the same time at the same height, so that it would position its wings to protect itself. At the same time, the third unit would fire a vertical shot that would hit the Angel. The safety of Nerv's base in Hamburg was crucial: the chance that the United Nations would provide funds for yet another rebuild was almost nonexistent. Most essential personnel were briefed, but the pilots themselves would receive briefing on a need-to-know basis.

Arnoud tried to concentrate as he found himself in the simulation body's entry plug again. Why did he seem to be the only one who couldn't get used to them? Even his sister seemed to have familiarized with it last time. So why couldn't he? "So, all four of us know we do not have much time to finish the training required for this mission", Dr. Okuhito said, "but it's in our best interests to complete as much of it as possible, at the very least. Brass has prevented me from providing any further information, but I can at least tell you that perfectly coordinated shots will be crucial. Kristof, I believe you have already received some training with the Positron Rifle, is that correct?" "Y-yes sir." Kristof tried to sound confident, but it was clear to hear that he wasn't as carefree as usual. The pressure seemed to push down on his voice as well. "Arno, Hanne… The most important part is lining up the two reticules and the target in the center of your screen. Then just pull the switch, and I guess the computers will take care of the rest. You got that?" Arno gulped before meekly answering yes. Kristof continued his instructions. "For starters, let's try to fire simultaneously on my signal, okay?"

During his explanation, Kristof had repeatedly paused in the middle of a sentence, waiting for Dr. Okuhito to confirm what he had just said. The task seemed easy; just line up the reticules and fire on the count of three. But Arnoud's reflexes had always been slow, and it seemed today was the day they decided to get even worse. "Come on, Arno? Are you even trying? That last shot was off by at least three seconds!" his sister said. Her voice was also trembling under the pressure, forcefully sounding cheerful, but Kristof asked her not to distract her brother. "Hanne, don't be so harsh on him. He's… he's probably just having difficulties, with all this pressure…" Arnoud rubbed the sweat off his forehead. He felt, in one word, incompetent. A radio signal came in. "_Dr. Okuhito! The Magi's calculations were off, the Angel has already reached the airport!_" "What? All three of you, to your cages immediately! Let's just hope luck's on our side." Dr. Okuhito ran for the Command Center, and the three inexperienced pilots seated themselves in their real entry plugs for the first time. Without actual experience, without decent training, the whole world depended on them.

"_Einheiten 14, __α__ und __β__: Start!_" With a loud rattle and a sudden shock the Evangelions were released down the chutes that brought them down to the river Elbe, from where they would be transported to their respective stations. Eva-16 would be flown up in an Eva carrier. Arnoud was shaking inside the entry plug. Furiously he hoped he would be able to calm down. Not just his life, not just their life depended on this. The entire world did. Why did he have to be the one carrying all the responsibility? A comm. channel opened up. It was Ester, sounding more serious than usual. "_Thirteenth, the world is counting on you._" Arnoud clenched his fists. The attempt to boost his confidence had the reverse effect. As the huge Positron Rifle was readied for use, the sun was setting in the distance. The Angel's frightening silhouette was slowly creeping forward. Another comm. channel opened. "_Arnoud, Nia._" It was Dr. Okuhito. "_As soon as Kristof gives his signal, you fire. You should try to have an as steady as possible aim, but when he gives the signal, you fire. It doesn't matter if the reticules are lined up or not. I would prefer it if we could all be in constant contact, but I'm afraid that apart from the countdown there will be complete radio silence from now on. Good luck._"

As said, all comm. channels closed. The only sounds that remained – the slush of the LCL and the humming of the machinery – seemed to reinforce the lack of any other sound even more. Complete silence. If it weren't for the clear night sky, those two sounds would have been Arnoud's only sensory input. All the street lights, everything except their Evangelions had been powered down to provide power for their Positron Rifles. Arnoud tried to distinguish his sister from the opposite hill's silhouette, but was unable to do so. Was she going to be alright? One comm. channel opened up again. The countdown.

"_Sectors 1 through 374, start supplying power. Voltage is coming up to operational level. All cooling systems full power. Beginning countdown: T-minus 180 seconds._" Arnoud tried to concentrate on keeping his aim steady, but his mind kept slipping away. He hadn't managed to get his timing right before the emergency training session was over. What if he was too late again? He tried to clear his mind; there had to be some way of focusing. He started humming a tune to keep his subconscious busy. He couldn't remember where he had heard it, but it was the first one he thought of. It reminded him of when he was still a little boy in Eupen, sitting on the forested hillside, gazing up at the stars as the cold evening surrounded him. He stopped humming.

"_T-minus 120 seconds._" A deviant star seemed to have broken free from its constraints, moving across the sky, but he knew it was the Eva carrier carrying Eva-16 – and Kristof inside of it, waiting to send out the signal. He removed his hands from the trigger, rubbing them together to calm his nerves. After a while, he put them back again, afraid he wouldn't be ready when the signal came.

"_T-minus 60 seconds._" A second comm. channel opened, and Arnoud nearly pulled the trigger, before he realized Kristof would never give the signal this early. "_Calm down. It's just me. I got permission to open up a comm. channel ahead of time. Are you alright?_" Arnoud smiled as he heard Kristof's voice. "Yeah…" Neither of them said anything, but just each other's presence calmed them down.

"_T-minus 10 seconds._" "_Okay, Arno, are you ready?_" Arnoud hesitated to answer Kristof. Was he? "Yes." "_Okay. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2._" Time seemed to slow down infinitely as a million thoughts ran through Arnoud's head. Was he going to be on time? Wouldn't he be too late? He couldn't be too late. He couldn't. He couldn't be too late. He couldn't be. He pulled the trigger – too early.

"Arno, no! Dammit! Hanne, fire now!" Kristof hastily made some final adjustments to his aim before firing at the Angel. The two other beams hit the Angel only split seconds later – but those split seconds were fatal. Before being obliterated, the Angel had turned its head towards the one who had fired first, and created a cross-shaped inferno.

"Arno? Can you hear me? Answer me, dammit! Arno? Arnoud?"


	4. Drittes Kapitel: das Erwachen

Arnoud slowly opened his eyes. He felt drowsy, and his brain strained to make the hazy image before him clear. When they had finally managed to do so, he tried to sit upright, but his arms were too tired to push himself up, so he rolled his head on his pillow to get a clearer view of the room he was in: white walls, white floor, white ceiling, and no furniture beside his bed and a small table. The bright sunlight coming from the windows made the scene look almost ethereal. He noticed a bouquet of flowers on the bedside table: several lilies, with a small card attached to it. He moved his head a bit closer to read it. It was a get well card from Ester. He let his head fall back onto the pillow and sighed. "I hate hospitals."

The door of the room opened slowly, and Ester looked inside through the half-opened door. When she noticed that Arnoud was awake, she entered, and sat down on the side of the bed. Arnoud moved his head slightly to the right to look at her. "Are you feeling a bit better?" she asked, with an expression of genuine concern. Arnoud nodded. "That's quite a hit you took back there," she continued. Arnoud wanted to be happy that she was so concerned about him, but it felt as if he was too tired to do so. "I guess…" Ester put her hand on Arnoud's arm and tried to smile, but the fact that she was worried still showed through. "You should try to rest as much as possible. Major Braunschweig was up in arms about what you did." Arnoud let his head roll back and closed his eyes as Ester continued her exposition. When she had finished, he opened his eyes again, and began speaking. "I… I was so nervous I… I didn't mean to mess things up…" "It's alright," Ester said. Arnoud nodded again and rubbed the tears that had begun to form in his eyes. "W… what about my sister? Is she alright?" Ester smiled. A genuine smile. "I called her the moment I heard you had woken up. She should be here any minute now…"

Only a few seconds after she said it, the door opened again, and there stood Hannelore. "Arnoud! Thank god you're alive!" She ran over to the bed and hugged him. "I was so worried…" She started crying, and Arnoud patted her on the back to comfort her. "I'm fine, so it's okay." He meant those words to be comforting, but somehow they didn't sound that way. When he looked past Hannelore's shoulders, he noticed Kristof standing in the doorway. He calmly smiled and said: "Long time no see, Arno." Arnoud smiled too, and managed to get himself in an upright position after Hannelore stopped hugging him. There was something melancholic about the situation, as if his friends had gathered around his deathbed. "I'm glad you're all here," he said, smiling. "No problem," replied Kristof. "About what happened back there… Don't think I'm mad at you. You were pretty good compared to me on my first training mission." Arnoud asked: "What happened?" Kristof chuckled, thinking back to it, and opened his mouth to answer, but they were interrupted by the door being slammed open. It was Nerv-03's tactical commander, Major Gerlinde Braunschweig. Her face was red with anger; a big surprise considering she usually remained calm and serious. Except when, as was the case, her strategies did not go as planned.

"You imbecile… My plan was perfect! It would have gone smoothly with no victims, no property damage, and minimal costs, if you didn't have to piss your pants and fire too early!" While she yelled at Arnoud, she pulled him out of the bed (Arnoud yelped as she did so) and shook him furiously. Ester stood up and tried to calm her down. "Gerlinde! He just woke up, calm down, please!" "I don't care!" Gerlinde shouted in reply. "He messed up my perfect plan!" Kristof stood up to defend his friend too. "Major Braunschweig, you've seen me in my first training missions. Arno can't- I mean, Arnoud can't be blamed for his failure. It was his first time." Eventually, Braunschweig admitted defeat and threw Arnoud back onto the bed. "Are you alright?" his sister asked, who had remained in the corner of the room quietly during the fight.

Several hours later, Asuka had brought the three pilots to a small classroom, with only two tables, four chairs, and one whiteboard. "What's this? Theoretical Eva classes?" Arnoud asked Kristof. Kristof sighed – a rare occurrence – and answered: "Nope. Just classes." "That's right!" Asuka said. "Since all non-Nerv employees have been relocated, I have to teach you brats myself!" The class – which took up the entire remainder of the day – covered multiple albeit basic subjects. Physics, mathematics, German, English, and even a little bit of Japanese – considering Nerv HQ was located in Japan, it only made sense. When they had finished, they ate dinner in the Nerv restaurant, and then went to sleep.

Kristof and Arnoud slept in a bunk bed: Kristof slept below and Arnoud on top. After they turned off the lights, Arnoud found himself unable to get some decent sleep. So he decided to try and talk with Kristof. "Kris? Are you still awake?" Kristof yawned and sleepily answered: "Yeah, why?""I was just wondering… How do you feel? About piloting the Eva?" Kristof rolled around in his bed for a few minutes before deciding on an answer. "What a question… I don't really know. It's necessary, I guess. What about you?" Arnoud thought about it deeply; he felt afraid. Afraid of the Angels, afraid of the Evas themselves. Afraid to die. All this responsibility forced upon him. "Never mind." He rolled over and tried to sleep.

After what seemed like just a few minutes, he woke up again. It was still dark, and Kristof's loud snoring made clear that he was still sleeping. Arnoud climbed out of the bed. Back at home, when he couldn't sleep, taking a shower always helped. The flowing water calmed him down; it's why he liked the rain.

When he exited the shower and put his clothes back on, he noticed the light was on in the kitchen. He walked over to see who it was, only to see Asuka staring in the fridge. Her face had a blank expression, and she had a general air of emotionless, completely unlike her usual hot temperedness. She turned her head slowly and noticed Arnoud. "Thirteenth… I need to talk to you…"

They sat opposite to each other on the dinner table's chairs, but Arnoud found himself unable to look Asuka in the eyes. "Thirteenth… Your parents… they died here, didn't they?" "Yeah…" "You saw it, didn't you?" "Yeah…" Arnoud still answered, but his expression changed as he became slightly angry. What business did she have, asking him these personal question?

"Don't you ever feel scared when you walk around here? You remember, don't you?" Arnoud looked up, looking Asuka right in the eyes. "No. I don't. Why does this matter to you?" Asuka stood up, making the chair she was sitting on fall over. "Why? _Why can you forget?_" Arnoud was startled by her sudden lashing out, unable to say anything. Asuka lifted up her hand in anger to hit Arnoud, but restrained herself barely enough. "Get back to your bed. Before I can't restrain myself any longer." She ran into her room, leaving Arnoud confused and bedazzled. After a few moments, he stood up and went back to his bed, more unable to sleep than before.

The next few days where largely the same: eat, train, eat, class, eat, sleep. This only changed one morning when they launched in their Evas for some training in the field. The white fog covered the entire valley. "It's abnormally foggy today…" Hannelore remarked, her Evangelion carefully walking down the hillside. "Ah, that's normal. In fact, it's been abnormally clear the last few weeks," Kristof said lightheartedly. He stayed behind in the cage, serving as a back-up if something went wrong. Arnoud sat in his entry plug silently, feeling his attention slip from time to time as his Evangelion stepped through the mist. After the conversation with Asuka a few days ago, he kept wondering why she had suddenly lashed out. "Thirteenth! Pay attention!" Asuka yelled. "I-I'm sorry." "As I said, start running as fast as you can. The Fourteenth will measure your velocity." Arnoud said yes in reply, and pushed the controls to start running. However, his Evangelion wouldn't move. He pushed again, and still nothing happened. A strange, cold feeling crept up his legs. "Hey, Thirteenth!" Eva-02 walked towards the motionless Eva-14α, and pulled its arm forward, trying to get it to move. However, it didn't bulge. Suddenly, Asuka noticed the mist had condensed on Eva-14α's legs and torso, and had then frozen. "Frozen? What the-" A sudden comm. channel interrupted her. "_Hauptmann Langley, pattern blue detected!_" "What? Where?" "_Everywhere!_" She looked around, but saw nothing. Then she noticed the frozen mist covering Eva-02's arms as well. "Don't tell me…" "Soryu, I'm freezing up too!" Hannelore shouted.

"_Schei__β__e!_ Kristof, go out on Eva-16!" Gerlinde shouted from the command center. Kristof, who was already sitting in the entry plug, nodded. "_Einheit 16: Start!_" As he arrived on the surface, a second hatch opened, delivering him the weapon he would be using: a specialized flamethrower. "Arno, Hanne, Miss Soryu, if you don't want to get burnt I suggest you activate your A.T. Fields!" He stormed in, flames blazing, and a horrifying shriek echoed through the valley as the icy condensation melted. Gerlinde gave the order to fall back. "Retreat to headquarters. We'll develop a plan there in safety." "_What?_" "The Angel's not being offensive yet. If we're lucky it'll leave us alone until we attack again."

Asuka kept tapping her foot nervously as the four pilots waited in their cages. "Geez, when are they going to give us orders? I want to fight, damn it!" After what seemed like an excruciatingly long time – especially because of Asuka's complaining – a comm. channel opened; it was Braunschweig. "_We've come up with a plan, and are beginning its first stages right now._"

"_Stand by for orders."_

Asuka sighed loudly when she heard those words. "Is there something _preventing_ us from launching right now?" It turned out there was. Gerlinde had deployed a decoy, hoping that all of the mist in Nerv-03's vicinity would condensate on the decoy and reveal the core. And it worked. Soon, the inflatable decoy had been almost completely replaced by a glacier of frozen condensation, damp evaporating from its crystalline surface. A soft, red glow was emanating from its center: the core. "_Einheiten 02 und 16: Start!_" Different launch shafts took them to a different location, closer to where the Angel had condensated; the middle of an intersection. Kristof readied his flamethrower, but Gerlinde stopped him. "_If you flame it, it'll just evaporate again. Just come to aid if someone gets frozen._" Kristof let out a sigh of disappointment, but didn't reply. A job was a job. Asuka stepped forward instead, readying her progressive knife. "So I just shatter it and get to the core, right?" "_That's the theory._" "Let's do this!" Asuka stepped forward and brought the knife down in one big lunge. However, not the ice, but the knife shattered; the water had been frozen and was still protected by the Angel's AT field. "Not again!" she yelled, as the condensation crawled up the broken blade up her arm. Kristof rushed in and unfroze her arm, avoiding the Angel as much as possible. "What's the point of having these weapons if they don't work?" Asuka kept complaining, while Kristof remained calm and contacted the command center again. "Major Braunschweig, what do we do now? Are you going to launch the 14's?" "_Not yet. Tell me when Asuka calmed down and then we'll bring up the Smash Hawk._"

The Smash Hawk was a large, battleaxe-like weapon. They were good at shattering things, but expensive to build, using the same technology as the progressive knives but with a much larger and much heavier blade. They were perfect for this situation. "Take this!" Asuka cried as soon as the axe had arrived, not even waiting for orders. And it had the intended effect: the blue crystal shattered in a million pieces, revealing the Angel's red core – surrounded by glowing white appendages. "Why can they never go down easy… ?" She took her unshattered back-up progressive knife, and slowly approached the Angel. She brought up the knife to slash one of the tentacles, but even before she slashed it down the tentacle took a jab at her. "Quickly! Cut all nerve connections!" Dr. Okuhito shouted at lieutenant Bär, who operated one of the stations at the top of the command center. He pulled the big red switch just in time as the glowing tentacle stabbed Eva-02 right through the chest. "_Hauptmann_ Langley, are you alright?" Asuka was breathing heavily in her entry plug. "Yeah… _Schweinhunds…_"

Meanwhile, Kristof had charged in with his flamethrower – now that the Angel had fully materialized, he reasoned, there wasn't a lot of evaporating it could do anymore. But while the fire kept the Angel at bay, it didn't do any damage. "Major Braunschweig, are you going to launch the 14's _now_?" "_They're already coming up, Hufschmied._" Arnoud had closed his eyes as Eva-14α rattled up the launch shaft, the LCL filling up the entry plug as the Evangelion was moving. It ionized just as the 14's reached the surface. Down the street, Arnoud could see Kristof keeping the Angel's tentacles at bay. Braunschweig transmitted orders over the comm. channel. "_Hannelore, back up Hufschmied. Arnoud, retrieve Asuka as quickly as possible._" "Okay." Both readied their progressive knives and walked down the road, Hannelore running to join Kristof and Arnoud moving in to protect Asuka. Arnoud tried to think logically, using his knife to slice the tentacle that had stabbed Eva-02 while Kristof kept the Angel from attacking him. "_Arnoud, get her to retrieval shaft 8._" Arnoud stepped back, keeping Eva-14α's arms gripped around Eva-02's waist. Kristof and Hannelore were doing a pretty good job of keeping the Angel at bay, Kristof dousing it in flames and Hannelore slashing away at it with her knife. When Arnoud had dragged Eva-02 to the platform, the safety locks released and the platform plunged down. Hannelore looked back to see if her brother was alright – a fatal decision. The Angel saw an opening, and another tentacle took a jab at her. Again, Okuhito began to shout orders. "Cut the connections!" Lieutenant Bär cut 14β's nerve connections, but screams of pain still filled the command center – Arnoud's screams of pain. "β _and_ α!" Okuhito shouted, but even after Eva-14α's nerve connections had been cut, the scream still seemed to echo throughout the command center. "I-I'm sorry, sir." "Don't worry too much. You weren't briefed yet on the twin types." Bär turned his chair, frowning. "Twin types, sir?" "Arnoud and Hanne are twins. One core is split between their units. They're unavoidably synced with each other."

The recovery squad lifted Arnoud out of the entry plug. He could see and hear, but everything seemed hazy. His limbs were paralyzed. In the corner of his eye, he thought he could see Asuka being helped out of her entry plug. A doctor bowing over him moved her mouth, but the voice seemed distant. "_He's just experiencing an acute stress reaction. Nothing critical._" He felt glad that he was alright and closed his eyes. "_Try to move your fingers._" Arnoud forced his seemingly frozen fingers to stretch. Pain surged through his body, and his muscles cramped for an instant. However, as quickly as the pain had returned it ebbed away again, the haze that had covered his senses now gone. The doctor helped him sit up. After Arnoud had rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he noticed that he had never seen her before. Her dark brown hair was put up in a ponytail, and her deep blue eyes gave the impression that she could read minds. "Excuse me, but I don't think…" The doctor, who had been taking his pulse, looked up when he said something. "Hm? Oh, that's right, I forgot. This is the first time I've seen you conscious. My name is Dr. Gendreau, I took care of you after the previous Angel's attack." Arnoud frowned for a moment before remembering what she was talking about. "Okay- thank you." "It's just my job," Gendreau said as she typed out Arnoud's results on her laptop. Arnoud let his head fall back, letting the soft hums of the cage fill his head. "Hey, Thirteenth." He opened his eyes again and turned his head. Asuka had already recovered completely, and was standing next to his stretcher. "You didn't have to save me, you know! I could have handled everything just fine out there. You're just wasting my time!" "It stabbed right through you!" Arnoud rebutted, but Asuka did not calm down. "Then you should have helped your sister and Baka-Kristof! Now we have to wait again!" Arnoud felt angry, but confused at the same time; why was she getting so angry all of a sudden? "I was just following orders!" "Just following orders gets you nowhere!" Asuka grabbed Arnoud by the collar, startling Gendreau as she tried to keep her equipment from falling off the catwalk. "A real man doesn't just follow orders! Shinji didn't follow orders!" "Shinji…?" Asuka threw Arnoud off the catwalk into the coolant and walked away with clenched fists. He barely managed to grab on to the side of the catwalk. Gendreau helped him up, and had also managed to rescue all of her equipment. "I thought I'd lose all of my readings…" She continued typing.


	5. Viertes Kapitel: das Feuer

"_So do you understand everything I just said?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

"_And you will take all of that into account while fighting the Angel?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

"_Okay, that's good. My sincerest thanks for your cooperation."_

Arnoud and Hannelore overlooked the central view screen of the command center from the upper balcony. Next to them, lieutenant Bär was running some basic system checks. Hannelore sighed. "I wonder where miss Soryu is…" Bär smiled and answered. "Ester is chewing Captain Langley out after what she did to your brother, I'm afraid. That would be you, right?" Bär leaned back to see Arnoud, who hadn't been paying attention. "Huh? Me?" Before he could grasp the conversation however, Hannelore interrupted. "Soryu did? Arno, what happened?" Arnoud tried to smile, covering up that he was still confused about what had happened exactly. "It's nothing, really. She just got a bit angry at me, that's all." Hannelore smiled. "Seems like something she would do." "She would, wouldn't she?" Bär added. His facial expression made it clear Asuka had yelled at him quite a few times too. He was ready to continue, but was interrupted by another Lieutenant manning the upper balcony's control panels. "Hey, Bärboy, don't go slacking off." "S-sorry, Suzanne." Bär's reaction made it clear that amongst the three lieutenants manning the balcony's control panels, she wore the pants. The woman – presumably Suzanne – had black bangs over her eyes, and wore a stylish pair of glasses. "You two must be the newest additions to our piloting team. I'm Lieutenant De Groot, and you've already met Lieutenant Bär. The quiet 'un over there is Lieutenant Pfaff." The other female lieutenant, who sported short brown hair, was startled upon hearing her name. Her voice sounded young and high-pitched. "M-m-ma'am!" "Relax, Mary. Just introducin' ya."

The door to the balcony opened. It was Major Braunschweig. She seemed worn out, with bags under her eyes and abnormally rough hair. "Status on the Angel," she said with a tired voice. Suzanne immediately replied, her voice immediately more formal. "Stationary, ma'am. The Angel is not making any movements towards the dome, but does appear to be making cracks in the pavement with its AT field." Braunschweig was annoyed at the fact that nothing had happened, and made it perfectly clear. "So… We have three Evas down, a stationary Angel, and no discernible way of defeating it. Great." Arnoud thought of something he had wanted to ask for a while now. "Major Braunschweig, where's Kris- I mean, Hufschmied?" "Oh, that guy? I've got no idea, Verburcht." As if a signal had been given, the door opened, and Kristof entered. He seemed to be contemplating something, until he noticed that everyone was looking at him. "Were you expecting me or something?" Braunschweig turned around. "Hufschmied, you're the only pilot we've got right now. Any ideas?" Kristof pondered the question for a few moments. "Well… It's vulnerable to heat, right? We've established that." Braunschweig rubbed her forehead. "Yes, but we've also established that that fire doesn't destroy cores!" "I know, but I was thinking… What if we douse the Angel in flames, and then I get in there to attack the core?" Braunschweig sighed. "What, you're telling me we should use-" "T-type equipment!" It was, quite surprisingly, Pfaff. "Used in addition to standard B-type equipment and in conjunction with a pressurized plugsuit for the pilot. Developed in 2015 by Doctor Ritsuko Akagi for use in extreme heat. Redesigned in 2017 by Doctor Katsuro Okuhito to reduce bulkiness. Made out of titanium plating." A long silence followed the winded explanation. Braunschweig scratched the back of her head before breaking the silence. "But that's so expensive…" Pfaff's determinedness changed instantly. "W-what? D-did I s-say something wrong? I-I didn't mean to…" "It's alright." Braunschweig grinned. "Hufschmied, let's do this!"

Kristof shifted his weight a little as he watched the large metal plating being attached to his Evangelion. In addition, a metal mask with an orange-tinted plexiglass visor was lowered over the Evangelion's head. "Hufschmied! Time to enter the entry plug," Braunschweig called out from the catwalk. Kristof nodded and pressed the additional switch on his right wrist: his plugsuit inflated like a balloon, and then deflated again until it just formed a small additional layer of padding. He sat down in the cockpit, and let the LCL fill up the tank. After one full year, he still was not used to the smell. It reminded him of his mother, before she died. He never talked with anyone about her death, but the memory alone was enough comfort. "_Hufschmied, you ready?_" He closed his eyes and grinned. "Always have been."

"_Einheit 16: Start!_" With a loud rattle, Eva-16 launched. The launch shaft brought it to the side of the main road, where a large truck was hauling the humongous jet engine that would produce the necessary heat. Kristof walked alongside the truck, which positioned itself just outside the Angel's range. "_Initiating jet startup sequence. 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Engine start._" With an exceptionally loud noise – only a moderately distracting hum inside the entry plug – the engine started, and white flames blazed from its exhaust. The truck struggled to keep the engine there, but managed. "_Prepare to enter maximum temperature zone._" Eva-16 stepped forward, the blazing fire illuminating the visor. It was so bright it even seemed blinding on the viewscreens of the entry plug. Kristof swallowed before taking the final step into the flames.

The flames were excruciatingly hot, even inside the entry plug. Kristof's plugsuit inflated a little bit, and started to be filled with coolant. While it cooled down his body, his face was still exposed to the heat, and he was forced to squint his eyes to see anything. The fire brought back old memories; memories he preferred to keep locked away. He tried to suppress the distraction as he sought his way to the core. In the distance, he thought he could see a vague shadow; was it the core? It was the only lead he had, so he moved forward, readying his progressive knife just to be sure. The T-type knife was a lot bulkier and a lot heavier than its regular B-type counterpart – not only the handle was a lot bulkier to provide better grip for the titanium gloves, the blade itself was more like a huge chunk of metal rather than an actual knife. When he finally got to the core, the glowing red sphere seemed almost black against the immense radiating heat. Slowly, he lifted the progressive knife with two hands, ready to smash the core into shards.

By now, the sweat was pouring from Kristof's forehead, mixing with the LCL to fill the entire entry plug with an almost unbearable stench. He closed his eyes and swallowed, struggling to concentrate while basking in the flames. "Come on now, big boy… Just… a little longer…" He counted down from three in his head, and then started smashing the core repeatedly with the progressive knife. Cracks started to appear. And all the while, in addition to the heat, the smell, and the tiringly heavy knife, the Angel shrieked and screamed as it made futile attempts to enter the fire with its tentacles. Eventually, with a load roar of pain, the core shattered, and the ice evaporated instantly. It left in its wake nothing but a few shattered pieces – and a huge crack in the road, revealing an armored metal plate underneath. "Just like the commander said…" Kristof whispered. Careful not alert the command center, he crouched, and began to scoop up molten asphalt to fill up the hole. When he was absolutely sure the plate could not be discovered, he opened the comm. channel. "This is Hufschmied. The Angel has been defeated." The flames stopped, and for a few moments Kristof felt blind, as the drastically decreased brightness seemed like the darkest black imaginable. As the engine itself shut down, he felt deaf too.

Back in the cage, he stood in the same spot as before, watching as the plating was removed. Its white hot surface made the coolant evaporate, so it was constantly being refilled to compensate. "Hufschmied!" It was Braunschweig, who climbed down from the catwalk to greet him. "You did a fine job out there." She stood alongside him, watching as the cranes lifted the titanium plating off Eva-16's body. She scratched the back of her head uncomfortably, and started to talk with an unexpectedly unsure tone in her voice. "Look, I heard about your mother from Ester just now. About the fire. If I had known, I'd have-" Kristof interrupted her by putting his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Major Braunschweig. I came up with the plan, didn't I?" She grinned arrogantly, her rare spot of insecurity already over. "But _I_ figured out the logistics. If it wasn't for my tactical genius, you'd all have bitten the dust out there!" She patted Kristof on the back, and they both laughed.


End file.
